In July , Iran lost one of its most acclaimed playwrights and directors when Mahmoud Ostad-Mohammad passed away in Tehran at the age of 62 .

Scores of relatives , friends , and theater lovers attended his funeral ceremony that was adorned with pictures of Ostad-Mohammad -- his trademark mustache and playful smile on display . Some wept while embracing copies of his famous screenplays .

Among the mourners was Ostad-Mohammad 's daughter , Mana , who is convinced that Western sanctions against Iran were partly to blame for his father 's passing .

`` This was the doctor 's testimony , '' said Mana Ostad-Mohammad . `` This is based on my father 's medical tests . ''

Through five decades , some of the most famous Iranian plays were brought to life by Ostad-Mohammad . Some were Iranian classics . Others were originals . All were stories about the loves and losses of everyday Iranians .

Then in 2011 , came a diagnosis of late-stage liver cancer . Surgery was not an option , but Ostad-Mohammad 's oncologist prescribed the cancer drug Nexavar . According to his doctor and medical tests , the drug appeared to stop the cancer from spreading .

`` We were very hopeful that if he gets through this stage , he could get healthy and start living his life again , '' said his daughter Mana .

But beginning last year -- soon after Washington and Western powers imposed additional sanctions against Iran to rein in its nuclear program -- Iranian doctors , pharmacists and patients say finding Nexavar and several other drugs that treated deadly diseases became increasingly difficult .

Western powers have stepped up the pressure on Iran since 2006 , when the U.N. Security Council voted unanimously to impose new sanctions for Tehran 's failure to suspend its nuclear program . The European Union imposed further sanctions last year .

U.S. officials have long said medical goods are exempt from the measures and that Western sanctions are specifically designed to target the government , not ordinary Iranians .

But Iranian officials say with the Western ban on Iranian banks doing business with much of the outside world , even medical goods that are exempt from the sanctions are often impossible to import .

`` We have a serious shortage of drugs due to high prices or because they 're impossible to purchase , '' says Tehran-based pharmacist Imen Heirani .

Heirani said everyday he gets as many as 30 calls a day from patients looking for hard-to-find drugs .

`` They 're obviously tired because they 've been searching for a while . ''

Mana was getting tired too . This year , finding Nexavar -- the drug that helped keep her father alive -- became harder than ever .

`` It was very unexpected , '' said Mana . `` For 18 months we could easily get the drug but now we could n't . We did n't know what to do . ''

Searching for the drug became Mana 's daily mission .

If pharmacies in Tehran did n't have Nexavar , Mana would open her phone book and start dialing pharmacies in other Iranian cities like Tabriz , Isfahan and Mashad .

But last March finding Nexavar became virtually impossible , she says .

Medical tests then showed her father 's feto-protein level -- an indicator of cancer -- skyrocketed over the four months he went without Nexavar .

On July 25 , Ostad-Mohammad lost his fight with cancer . Iran lost a beloved playwright . And a daughter lost a father who she believes was a victim of Western sanctions and a political conflict that had nothing to do with him .

`` More than being angry , I think about how simple-minded politicians are , '' she said .

`` Sanctions are impacting the people , not the groups politicians say they 're impacting . ''

@highlight

Iranians say access to life-saving drugs is difficult because of Western sanctions

@highlight

West has imposed harsh economic sanctions for Iran 's failure to suspend nuclear program

@highlight

Economic sanctions targeting Iranian banks and energy sector have crippled Iran 's economy

@highlight

U.S. officials say Western sanctions are designed to target government , not citizens